So say The Diogenes version of the history of The Civil War.
So say the facts. You just do not like them because they prove how the greed of evil people manipulated men into fighting and dying for a lie.
New York was the center of Power in 1861, and it is still effectively the center of Power in 2016. (They run the biggest banks, brokerages, insurance, the markets, and most of the "News" Media.) It's a center of power because it has money. It was a center of power in 1861 because it had money.
New York state is the "Empire State", and New York city is the "Empire City." Did anyone ever stop and think that they ought to take that boast seriously?